


Safe and sound

by thegirlinthefandoms



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Cursed Storybrooke, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hats, Hats hats and more hats, Storybrooke, Wonderful, a little bit of angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-17
Packaged: 2018-05-07 00:50:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 5,643
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5437298
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlinthefandoms/pseuds/thegirlinthefandoms
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Her life was normal, happy and easy, with a home, a job, a boyfriend and some friends in a quiet small town where life was always the same every single day. Meanwhile, in other side of the town, a man was trapped in his own head and in his house; living with memories of an old, happy life with the family that had been taken away from him. And when everything seemed to start getting better, things didn't turned out as well as they planned.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I can't explain how much I love Jefferson so there you go. Hope you like it!

For Alice, life was the same every day. She couldn't even remember going or living in other place than Storybrooke. It was like if time never passed but you never notice. The girl couldn't remember when she and Ruby or Mary Margaret became friends, or even when she opened her little shop in front of Granny's, not even when she met Luke and it felt like they've together forever.

Everyday had the same routine until one day the clock in the tower started moving again and a blonde girl in a yellow car came to town. Some people were going crazy with that -like Regina-, but for her it was like always. Alice would open her fabric and craft store everyday at 9am until 1pm and then again at 4pm until 7pm. Then she will get home and that was it. 

Before the blonde woman -or Emma, like everybody called her, at least that’s what Alice heard from Ruby- appear in town everything was quiet, people would say hi to everybody as they walked by, kids running in the street after school, people going to Granny’s to eat or get a cup of coffee. The simple, normal life. Even the craziest thing that happen in her life since she could was Luke proposing to her a month or so ago. A lot of weird things were going on in town, but she didn’t wanted to put her nose on that. Interfering meant dealing with the mayor and that was trouble. So after all, Alice will keep her head in her own business, moving her things to Luke’s house, working and finishing the planning of the small wedding.

It was a normal morning like any other when she was looking at some bride’s magazine in her shop. It was Thursday and on Thursdays every two weeks the same guy came into the shop looking for the same black fabric, so that day when he came to the shop Alice wasn’t surprised. He was really good looking; always serious but saying hi to her with a half charming smile; always dressed with dark clothes and a scarf, everything in a very Victorian style; short dark brown hair always looking good; but the first thing she will always notice about him were his beautiful and sad blue eyes. Maybe looking at him for so many times made his eyes familiar, but Alice could never get out of her head the idea that she knew those eyes somehow. 

When he got inside the store they smiled at each other and Alice left the magazine behind, walking to get the same fabric with the same two cotton reels that he always bought. They always had a small talk, maybe about the weather or something simple like that. Alice never asked for what was the fabric but if things were changing outside, she thought maybe they could change the conversation in that occasion. “Can I ask why you always buy the same black fabric?” the girl asked, looking up at him with her brown eyes and a little smile in her face. “I make hats” the man responded, handing the money to pay. “And you don’t use them?” Alice said joking, but a little surprised because she wasn't expecting that as a answer. “Not anymore” the blue-eyed man murmured with a sad smile on his face. 

That was all their conversation that day. Alice gave him his change and the little paper bag with the things, they said their goodbyes and that was everything, but that night the girl when back home feeling that she knew those sad eyes from somewhere that wasn't the store.

The next time wasn't two week later; it was just one when the man walked through the little shop's door. This time, Alice was organizing and moving things around the place, but she left everything when she saw him, dark clothes, perfect hair and charming smile as always but this time with a paper bag in his hand. 

It was almost normal for the girl to see him there. It felt like his presence was familiar somehow and every time Alice saw him a smile appeared in her face. “The same as usual?” she asked smiling and walking towards him. “No, actually I came to give you this as a present, I guess” the man explained, hanging the girl the paper bag in his hand. 

Alice took it and inside there was a black tall hat, made with the exact fabric that she always sold him. "This is amazing! You made it?" Alice exclaimed, taking the hat in her hand to look at it closely. It was an amazing job and it was the first time that someone brought her a present like that. "Yes, I did" he admitted, looking down at the girl focused in her present. "Wow, thank you..." Alice smiled but she didn't continued, remembering that she never knew his name. "Jefferson's the name" the stranger with now a name said, making a little reverence in front of her. "Well, Jefferson, I'm Alice" she told him, extending her left hand.

Instead shaking hands, Jefferson took her hand in his and kissed it, just like he was a prince from some fairy tale. “So young and already married?” he asked, looking at the small diamond ring in her left hand. “No, I'm getting married in a week. I wasn't wearing it until now because my boyfriend had to send it to adjust. It was a little small. He's not good for those things” she smiled. “Oh, well, in that case congratulations” Jefferson said, letting her hand go and smiling politely. "Okay, I should go and let you work. See you next week, Alice" the man suddenly added, walking to the door and not even giving Alice time to say goodbye. "See you later, Jefferson" the girl murmured for herself, the hat still in her hands.

Some hours later Alice was in her new home, she said hi and kissed her boyfriend, told him the story about the hat and her customer and they joked about him stealing Alice from Luke. He was a good guy, working as a fisherman at the docks dicing up sea produce, and he was really noble and handsome. The guy just joked about the stranger flirting with his girlfriend and nothing more, then the brunette went to their room to change her clothes to go and help him with the dinner.

After dinner, she couldn't sleep and Luke was already in bed, so Alice stayed in the living room, and she remembered the hat in the bag on the top of the coffee table. Every time the girl was holding it she couldn't stop looking at it for some reason. Maybe because it was really beautiful. Or maybe because deep inside it reminded her of the one the Mad Hatter wore in the story of Alice in Wonderland, and it was, for some reason, her favorite fairy tale especially because her name was Alice too. 

Whichever was the reason Alice couldn't stop looking at it, but that night she needed to go to sleep and leave the hat behind.


	2. Chapter 2

Jefferson slammed the door shut the second he entered the mansion. He couldn't take it anymore. He was tired of waiting. He was tired of not being able to do anything and tired of his hats not working. 28 years passed and he knew it. 28 years of watching his daughter and his wife having happy lives away from him. Regina took him away from them back then in the Enchanted Forest and she did it again when the curse brought them to Storybrooke.

She told him her name was Alice but it wasn’t, she was Priscilla even if she didn’t remember it. And her precious daughter wasn’t Paige, she was Grace. She was their little Grace, but the Evil Queen changed their names. But he remembered everything. Remembering was his curse and having to live with two realities and two lives inside his head was worse than anything in the world, but not as terrible as being without his family.

And now his Priscilla was going to get married with someone else. Some other guy was hugging, protecting, kissing and loving her instead of him. And his Grace was calling someone else 'papa' and running to someone else’s arms when she needed a hug or a goodnight kiss. Some guys where in the place where he should be, but those hats wasn't working without magic and there was no more of it in that stupid place. And if Jefferson didn't do something quickly it would be late and his wife will be married before he could stop her. 

Just remembering how beautiful she looked in their wedding made his heart and chest arch. If he closed his eyes he could still saw her smiling as they were kissing, her pink lips murmuring how much she loved him and how happy she was. And Jefferson was crazy for her. He would gave her the world if it was in his power.

When they met in their land, she was also working on the market in town, but she was selling clothes in a stall. Jefferson was a thief, a nobody with bad reputation and lots of enemies, jumping through portals with his hat and doing jobs; until one day he saw her. He had seen thousands of women in his life and in all those lands, but never someone as beautiful as she was. Priscilla was like a gem in the middle of that awful place, with her warm smile and her brown eyes shining. Not all the magic in the world could have created someone as beautiful as her.

The first time he bought something in her stall just to know her name. Then, if he was in the Enchanted Forest he will go there just to see her and say hi. Things were in that way for a month until Jefferson asked Priscilla if she wanted to go for a walk and the girl couldn’t say no to that smile. That was when everything started. Jefferson told her what he did for living and the girl said he had to be a little mad to make business with people like the Evil Queen and the Dark One. She knew from the beginning that he was a mess, she always told him that, but she could learn to handle the mess. And they were nothing alike, but for some reason he was lucky enough and she fell for him as he did for her. 

At the beginning everything was fine with her parents, even when they didn't really like the guy of the crazy hat. Jefferson and Priscilla lied about his job, but one day she came home and found her mother and father talking about her boyfriend because the man discovered who Jefferson was and they couldn't imagine their daughter with a thief that also worked with the Dark One. They weren't wrong after all, but for the first time in her life Priscilla didn't care because she was happy just looking at his smile and his blue eyes. Besides, her mother and father were on a similar situation and her mother run away from home when she was young, just like Priscilla did when they told her that they were never going to approve their relationship.

So Priscilla packed her things and left with Jefferson. He showed and took her to all the worlds she wanted, especially to the ones that called her attention when he told stories about those places and to those he thought she could like. Jefferson took her to everyplace she wanted, except to Wonderland because he always thought it was awful. The hatter took his girl with him except if he had to do some job, then Priscilla will wait at home until he came back and he will always bring her some present but all she wanted was for him to return home safe.

Everything was amazing for them, especially the day Priscilla agreed to marry him. The wedding it was just the two of them. Jefferson didn't have family or many friends and Priscilla's family wasn't talking to her, so it was just them promising to love and to be with each other for the rest of their lives no matter what. He could still remember the beautiful and simply white dress his love was wearing with small white flowers in her long brown hair; and even when she could pick a big fancy dress, she chose a very simple one. 

And even though they had everything they could ask and more, one day Priscilla found out she was pregnant and the happiness was bigger, especially when the little baby girl came into their lives, making them a real family. Grace was the most beautiful, amazing and lovely baby and she was all theirs. The little girl was just like her mother, with brown hair and brown eyes and the couple named her Grace for Jefferson's mother that passed away when he was still a young boy. Sure thing that Jefferson never imagined himself having that life, but those two girls came into his life to change him and he was absolutely sure of that. 

With a beautiful house, a beautiful wife, and his even more beautiful and perfect daughter, Jefferson had everything he needed, but nothing lasts forever, so the problems started and the money was scarce in their pockets. Besides, Jefferson wasn't using his hat, so he wasn't making money and Priscilla wasn’t working either since Grace was a little baby girl who needed her mother. 

They learned to live a not so good life, but they still had each other and Grace was growing up as beautiful as her mother and as clever as her father, but it wasn’t enough for Jefferson because he wanted a big life for them. The hatter wanted it until he almost lost his wife, then he learned that they could live without magic, even if life wasn't as good as it used to. Nothing they could have was as important as the life of his wife and daughter, but fate made him go through that as a reminder. 

But then again he screwed up some years later. Jefferson learned that lesson again and he was still planning on making Regina pay for that, but he couldn't do it now. He needed Regina. He needed her to have his family back. He needed his wife and his daughter back in his arms. And he needed to do something before it was too late, no matter what it takes.


	3. Chapter 3

A broken curse could bring more problems than solutions, even if that's incredible.

Everybody was outside or at Granny's celebrating the fact that the curse was broken by 'The Savior'. Everybody in the town was having the time of their lives reuniting with their loved ones after all those years, at least everyone but Alice. 

Since the moment she remembered who she was, Alice was trying to get her life back together, at least her head. Now she was like two different persons in her head, and she was trying to get used to the fact that her real name was Priscilla and not Alice. 

Besides that, she didn't have any idea where Jefferson was and more important, she didn't knew where her daughter was. 

Looking at the hat in her hands, the girl remembered when she told Jefferson that she was going to get married in some days. She was still Alice, but she told her husband that she was going to marry another man and she couldn't even imagine how he felt when he heard those words coming from her. 

And Alice was sure that Jefferson always knew who she was, that should be the reason why he gave her the hat, to see if she could remember him after all. But now the curse was broken and those memories where back in place. Everything they lived together as a couple and as parents was back in her head, even if she didn't knew who she really was now. It was something in between Alice and Priscilla, but she wasn't sure and it was scary. For the last who-knows-how-many-years Priscilla was living a life that was a lie but in her head it was all real and true and now it was nothing. 

“You are going back to him, don’t you?” Luke asked, his voice coming from the door. “I- I don’t know” she smiled sadly, not even turning to look at the one how was her boyfriend.

The poor Luke knew about her real husband and her child. The brunette told him that his husband back in the Enchanted Forest was the one who had give her the hat, but that was all the information they shared. "I can't blame you for that. I mean, I love you or at least I did. With the curse gone I just don't know anymore, but I can't stop you from trying to get your family back together..." he said, his footsteps getting closer to the bed, but not where she was. "I know, everything it's different now. It's just weird not being who we were anymore" the brunette murmured, leaving the hat on the bed besides her. She didn't even wanted to think about the fact that one of those hats were the reason why she lost her family the first time. 

When she turned to look at Luke it was like nothing happened with her. Of course he was handsome, but nothing compared to Jefferson. Luke was a cute guy, but she didn't like him anymore. It was like all those years together didn't even exist. She had the memories, but the feeling wasn't there.

"Hey, who were you back there? Because I don't remember you" Priscilla asked, trying to change the subject for a moment. Besides, they talked about whom she was back there, but no about who he was. "Prince Eric, not from the same land as you I suppose" he smiled, making a reverence and making the girl ask how a prince ended up being a fisherman. "No, we weren't from the same place. And you had a true love or whatever we used to call it back there?" she joked, now more like a friend than a girlfriend or ex-girlfriend. "Yes. I waited for her, but she never came" Eric murmured sadly, looking at the ground. "Maybe you have a new chance now, you never know" the brunette said, getting up from the bed that wasn't actually her bed anymore. 

"Look, Eric" she breathed walking to where he was."I don't know what's going to happen now, but thank you for all those happy years, I don't remember how many they were, but it was pretty amazing. And don't worry, I'll pack my things and I'll go back to my old place in a couple of days, just in case you found your girl" she affirmed friendly. Priscilla still had part of her things packed, but she had the boxes besides the bed, ready to pack her clothes. "I better let you work in your things. Call me if you need some help" he smiled, leaving the girl in the room.

It wasn't easy to break up like that. Priscilla didn't even knew if it was a break now they knew it was all fake, but all those years had been truth. They had something good, they were living together, about to get married and with plans for a future, but now it was all gone. 

Priscilla opened the door of the wardrobe and placed the boxes on the bed so she could start packing again to go to her old home and maybe there she could finally found out if after all those years she was more Alice than Priscilla.


	4. Chapter 4

_The day was pretty beautiful to stay in, but Priscilla used it to put some order in the small family house as her husband and her daughter were outside in the woods playing and collecting mushrooms._

_She looked around and yes, it wasn't the place they used to live and it wasn't the life Priscilla and Jefferson dreamed, but she was happy having her family every day. It was hard; they had lost almost everything they had; she got up early to go to the market and sell the mushrooms and in that way they got some coins in their pockets to live with; and some days they would act like everything fine because Grace would look up at them with a smile in her beautiful face and they couldn't made a little girl get worried. Her parents' bad decisions aren’t her fault after all. Grace didn't deserve that._

_And they were lucky to have such a compressive daughter; never complaining and never asking for something she knew that her parents couldn't afford. If they couldn't do it she will smile and say 'It’s okay, papa' or 'I didn't need it anyway, mama'._

_And Priscilla never complained about anything either, knowing that if there was something Jefferson could do to make his two girls lives better he would already have done it. Every anniversary or birthday he couldn't give her a present, the brunette will smile telling her husband that she already had everything she wanted and that he had give her too much presents when they were on a better position, so it was fine if she couldn't give her something. It was better to save that money for an emergency or for Grace' birthday present._

_Even a couple times, Jefferson tried to sell his wedding ring knowing it could give them some extra cash, but his wife never let him, saying that the ring will make him remember her if they weren't together. They could have lost most part of their material things, but there was no way Priscilla let him sell that._

_Before she could start preparing dinner, Priscilla heard Grace's voice and Jefferson's laugh coming from outside and it was all she needed to make the girl smile."There you are my two loves!" she smiled when she heard the door. "Hi mama!" the little girl exclaimed, walking to hug her mother, not even taking her hood coat off. "Hi Grace!" she smiled kissing the girl' head."How was the collecting?" Priscilla asked, now to her husband. "It could be better" he breathed, walking to his dearly wife. "Don't be so grumpy" she smiled, hitting him playfully on the chest and placing a kiss on his lips. “Are you okay?” she murmured, trying to not been heard by Grace. "Yes" he answered, kissing her on the lips and on her forehead._

_Priscilla didn't needed to ask more to know what was on Jefferson's head, so she just let him be, knowing that if he needed he will talk to her, probably when their daughter was sleeping. "Grace, you want to come with me to grab some water?" she asked to the little girl, hoping that some minutes alone could help her husband."Okay mama" the girl smiled, walking to the door with her mother._

_The two of them grabbed their coats and a bucket and walked hand in hand to the well that wasn't really far away from the small house. They say hi and talked with the neighbors as Priscilla was getting the water and they were saying to the little girl how beautiful she was and how much she was growing. They knew Grace and her parents since she was almost three years old -or better since they had to leave their old house because they couldn't pay the debts- and every time they would tell her that she was beautiful and they'd her parents how lucky they were to have such a beautiful kid._

_After saying their goodbyes, Priscilla and Grace were going back home when they saw a carriage getting closer and then stopping in their house, and Priscilla knew who was the owner, so it was better to get her daughter away until it wasn't there anymore."Sweetheart, let's go and walk for a little bit in the forest" she smiled to Grace, hoping the girl wouldn't notice the nervous in her voice. "Who's that carriage, mama?" the girl asked, walking away from the house with her mother. "The Queen's" Priscilla breathed, knowing that lying was in vain. "Papa knows her?" the young girl exclaimed, not believing that his father knew someone as evil as the queen. Sometimes even Priscilla couldn't believe it. "No, of course he doesn't" she lied hiding everything with a smile."Let's go, Grace. Maybe we found some extra mushrooms that we can sell tomorrow" Priscilla exclaimed, knowing that her husband could handle Regina alone._


	5. Chapter 5

_She waited until the carriage was nowhere to be seen to walk back home. Priscilla didn't wanted the queen near her daughter and she had to talk to Jefferson, so she asked Grace to wait with the neighbors, explaining the situation to the lovely couple after she left the girl in their house._

_When she got into her home Jefferson was there alone, looking through the windows at the woods. Something weird was going on with her husband and she knew it. "Where's Grace?" he asked, not turning to look at his wife, but knowing that Grace wasn't there. "With the neighbors, I asked them to look after Grace for a minute" Priscilla explained, leaving her coat besides the door._

_There wasn't a simple or easy way to start the conversation about why the Evil Queen was in their house. They had been together for years, they knew each other too well and neither of them were silly to deny that something was happening."What was she doing here?" the girl asked, trying to sound like she wasn't nervous about the whole thing."Nothing" he answered and he could be a good liar, but not with his wife. "Jefferson, what was Regina doing here?" she asked again, this time in a not so lovely tone. "She asked me to take her to other land" he murmured, finally turning to look at her._

_Usually with just looking at his eyes Priscilla will know what he was thinking. She just needed a second to see at the way those blue eyes looked like and that was everything, but that time the brunette couldn't know what was going on in his head. "What? Promise me that no matter what she offers you, you are never going to say yes" she begged, afraid that he could say yes. "I won't, I promise. But..." Jefferson started to say, making her heart jump at the second that he said ‘but’._

_He was thinking about accepting the offer. That was what she couldn’t see. Priscilla knew that his husband had worked with Regina before, but it was when she wasn’t the Evil Queen. She was just a girl with her heart broken who wanted to get revenge after she lost her love. Priscilla couldn’t even blame her for that back then, but know it was different. Now she was evil and they couldn’t trust in her. Jefferson shouldn’t trust her. "No, love. Listen to me, we chose this life" Priscilla murmured, taking both of his hands into hers. "We chose this life because I almost lost you" Jefferson corrected her._

_When Grace was just two years old, Jefferson decided to go to Wonderland to steal the Clock of Evermore from the March Hare. It was probably the worst idea ever. He promised to go back home in some days, but seven days passed and she didn't have any news from him. Leaving Grace with the one who was their neighbor, somehow Priscilla managed to get to the awful land, get into the huge house and save his husband. The couple managed to found the hat, but when they were about to jump into the portal an arrow hit her. Jefferson carried her and just in time they get home. At least just in time for her husband to say Rumplestinskin’s name three times and make a deal with the Dark One to save her. From that moment Jefferson never touched his hat again and he could never forgive himself for what happened with his wife._

_Priscilla knew that deeply in his head he never forgot about that moment, even if she begged him to don't feel guilty. “I know, but I'm here. And I chose to have this life with you, with our daughter. That's all I need" she smiled, trying to make him understand. "But I don't want this life for you and for her anymore. I want you to give you everything you need" Jefferson said, placing her hands in her waist. "All I need is this. You and our little Grace. I rather having you here and collect mushrooms than living a big life without you around" she explained, moving her hands to placed them in the left side of his chest trying to feel his heartbeats, even if he was wearing a shirt and a vest. "Just one last travel, Pri. One more and we could give our Grace the life she deserves, just like the old times” Jefferson insisted, placing his left hand on the top of hers. Priscilla knew he was ready to take the chance and that was what scared her most. He was ready to do whatever was in his power to make his family happy, even if that could risk his life. “You said that the last time and I almost lost you” she reminded him, feeling tears coming into her brown eyes. “And I almost lost you, so it’s not going to be like that this time” Jefferson affirmed, but somehow she couldn’t believe that._

_Maybe it was because those were the exact same words he told her the last time. ‘One last job and it’s going to be over, Pri. We are going to have the life we deserve’. But that life never came and Grace almost lost both of her parents. "I don't want you to do it. We can't trust her. For something she's call the Evil Queen, Jefferson! I just want my husband to come home at the end of the day to put our daughter in bed together" Priscilla exclaimed walking away from her husband, tears now running down on her cheeks. "Alright, I'm not going. If that's what you want, I'm staying. We’ll find another way" the man finally accepted, walking to his wife, hugging her from behind and placing his face on her shoulder._

 

Priscilla woke up from the dream, covered in cold sweat and with her heart racing. She didn't knew why she had that dream that was more like a memory. At least there she could see her daughter's face one more time. 

The brunette fell asleep after she moved everything back to her apartment. Eric helped her bringing the boxes from his house to hers in his car, saying he wanted to help for the good times, after all they say they will stay as good friends who could count on each other. But it was her job to put everything back into place like before she moved. 

She sat on the bed, thinking about her dream and where Jefferson and Grace could be. Since she got her memories back, Priscilla didn't gave herself the time to think about everything. She was trying to think in herself and to put her life back together before trying to go and find her husband and daughter. Even the apartment was a reflection of her life in that moment: A total mess with boxes and things all over the place. Of course she missed them, but she couldn't go to them being the mess she was at that moment. 

Priscilla went to the bathroom to wash her face with cold water and started working in the boxes. The first thing she wanted back in place was her kitchen, so the girl started with the boxes that said 'Kitchen' on the side. Her bedroom could wait until later. Cleaning the house was a good way to distract herself for a little bit or maybe a good excuse not to think about everything. 

Especially not to think about the fact that she missed her family. With her memories all those feelings came back and now she was alone and with time to think she missed them. Priscilla missed kissing Grace goodnight, she missed hugging her and hearing her voice calling her 'mama'. And she missed her husband. The brunette missed looking at his piercing blue eyes, his charming smile, waking up beside him and being in his arms and against his warm body. Back then they didn't get the chance to say goodbye because both of them though he will get back home but it never happened. It was years ago but it still felt like it was yesterday, that's why Priscilla didn't wanted to think about it. 

After she closed the first cabinet that was done the girl heard a knock in the door. Probably it was Eric with something she forgot at his place and he found before she left, or maybe it was Ruby coming to say hi. As she walked to the door, Priscilla took off the ponytail and let her hair fall on her back, especially because her messy ponytail wasn't something that she wanted to be seeing in public with. And thinking that the next part she would clean and take care of was the bathroom, the brown-eyed girl opened the door.

"Hi Pri" the man behind the door said and Priscilla found herself looking directly at her favorite pair of blue-grey eyes.


End file.
